dark's tale

Abandoned by her owners, a young cat struggles to survive in the wilds of Golden Gate Park.

After Dark is abandoned in Golden Gate Park, she no longer trusts or loves humans. Slowly she learns to rely on her smarts and instincts to find food and shelter, and she even makes a few unexpected friends in her new home.

But danger lurks in the shadows of Golden Gate Park. Coyotes are on the prowl in the park and the surrounding streets.

As more animals disappear, the natural order of the park is threatened by the coyotes’ presence, and Dark is forced into difficult decisions about friendship, loyalty, and the meaning of survival. In fact, she might have to trust the one group that has hurt her the most: humans.

Dark’s Tale is a tale of survival, friendship, and trust that will appeal to middlegrade fans of Erin Hunter’s Warriors series and Kathi Appelt’s The Underneath.

"...nice and quiet, nobody I could see. So I should have relaxed, but I couldn't--I suddenly had a strong feeling that I was being watched. It took me a minute, checking corners and dark patches with my eyes and ears, before I realized what it was: one of the park's homeless people, all the way across the road. Whoever it was, they were just standing there, not making any move toward me.

I let myself ease up. He or she was no threat to me, because there was no way I was visible, not from there.

The moon was all the way up now. In the buffalo paddock, there would be gophers, popping their heads out--it was their time of night. There was a gap in the fence, too small to let most things in or out, but I can make myself lean and long when I want to, and I could get through easily enough. I wouldn't do it during the day, not when the buffalo were out and grazing, but this was night, and night is my time.

No one was ever going to feed me again,. Anything I ate, I had to learn how to catch; otherwise, I was going to starve."

Booklist review:

"...the novel creates a believable natural world, where predators hunt smaller animals and a cat must rely on her senses, her skills, and her friends for survival. Children who love cats will enjoy Dark’s adventures."

Kirkus Review

"The descriptions of the park, its wildlife and Dark's mystical encounters are breathtakingly beautiful, fierce and evocative...the graceful prose, deft blending of realism with fantasy and irresistible feline protagonist make this a natural fit for fans of Erin Hunter's Warriors books and similar tales."

Booklist review:

"...the novel creates a believable natural world, where predators hunt smaller animals and a cat must rely on her senses, her skills, and her friends for survival. Children who love cats will enjoy Dark’s adventures."

Kirkus Review

"The descriptions of the park, its wildlife and Dark's mystical encounters are breathtakingly beautiful, fierce and evocative...the graceful prose, deft blending of realism with fantasy and irresistible feline protagonist make this a natural fit for fans of Erin Hunter's Warriors books and similar tales."